Wedge type ball valve with separate actuators



H. MASHEDER WEDGE TYPE BALL VALVE WITH SEPARATE ACTUATORS Original FiledOO\. 25, 1963 July 2, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 M m w a A tlorneys ly 2;1968 H. MASHEDER 3,390,851

WEDGE TYPE BALL VALVE WITH SEPARATE ACTUATORS Original Filed Oct. 25.1963 Z Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor fle /v m4dle4e'z,

Attorney United States Patent Ofice 3,398,861 Patented July 2, 19683,390,861 WEDGE TYPE BALL VALVE WITH SEPARATE ACTUATORS Henry Masheder,London, England, assignor to Lincoln Valves Limited, Kendall,Westmoreland, England, a British company Continuation of applicationSer. No. 319,016, Oct. 25, 1963. This application Apr. 11, 1966, Ser.No. 549,092 Claims. (Cl. 251-161) This is a continuation of applicationSer. No. 319,016, filed Oct. 25, 1963, now abandoned.

The practical application of a rotary ball valve is normally limited bythe material of which the valve seatings for the ball are made. Theseatings are often made of materials such as elastomers for use atnormal temperatures, and of Teflon (registered trademark) for use athigher temperature.

In general, in a rotary ball valve having two seatings on opposite sidesof the ball, one seating forms a better seal than the other, dependingon the direction of fluid flow through the valve. In some cases,self-sealing seals are used, which act in both directions. Such systemsof sealing, however, cannot generally be used effectively for theisolation of a centre vent in the valve casing at high temperatures,since these conditions require metal to metal sealing.

According to the invention, a rotary ball valve comprises a casinghaving two ports with valve seatings around them, a ball which can bearranged so that different surfaces engage simultaneously with the twovalve seatings and which has a passage through it, means for orientingthe ball with respect to the ports so as to allow fluid flow from oneport to the other or to prevent such flows, and means for urgingdifferent surfaces of the ball outwards in directions so that they pressagainst the seatings, and for reducing such pressure against theseatings.

Preferably the ball is resilient, and is assembled into the valve casingin a state of initial compression. The ball may be made resilient byproviding one or more slots or grooves or both in the ball, for example,so that the ball acts as a spring. Preferably, the slots or grooves orboth are disposed symmetrically around the ball.

Alternatively, the ball may be made resilient by cutting it into twoparts and placing a resilient insert, of rubber for example, between thetwo parts.

In the preferred arrangement a spindle is used both to orient thepassage through the ball with respect to the ports, and to urgedifferent surfaces of the ball outwards against the seatings. Twoseparate spindles may be used, however, one to orient the ball, and oneto urge the ball outwards against the seatings.

Two preferred constructions of valve will now be described withreference to FIGURES 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings, which aresectional side elevationa views of valves.

With reference to FIGURE 1:

A valve casing 2 has two ports 4 and 6, and two seatings 8 and 10 fittedrespectively around these ports. A ball 12 has a passage 14 through it,and a square bore 16 having tapering sides passes through one wall ofthis passage 14. The slot 18 extends on either side of the bore 16, andis cut through the thickness of one wall of the passage 14 and along thewhole axial length of the passage. A groove 20 extends from the passage14 into the wall of the ball 12, and is placed diametrically opposite tothe slot 18. The ball 12 is formed from stainless steel, and hasstellited faces. It is assembled within the valve casing 2 in a state ofinitial compression Other materials may equally well be used for theball, depending on the particular requirements of the valve.

The square tapered end 22 of an operating spindle 24 fits into the bore16 in the ball 12. The axial slot 18 causes the ball to act as acircular spring, and axial movement of the spindle 24 towards or awayfrom the ball causes different surfaces of the ball to 'be pressedagainst the seatings 8 and 10 or such pressure against the seatings tobe reduced, respectively.

The spindle 24 is arranged perpendicular to the passage 14 through theball 12. The axis of the spindle passes through the centre of the ball.The main length of the spindle 24 is cylindrical. Part of its length iscontained within a packing seat 25, packing 26 and a thrust ring 28,these being tightened down by means of a gland head 30 which is threadedexternally to engage with a gland flange 31 which is bolted to the topof the casing 2, and internally to engage with external threading on alocking sleeve 33, both the internal and the external threads having thesame pitch. The gland head is then locked in position by grub screwswithin threaded bores 32. The remainder of the spindle 24 is held withinthe locking sleeve 33 which screws into the gland head 30 as mentionedabove. The top of the spindle 24 is connected to a control lever 36which is held in place by a lock nut 38. After the orientation of theball has been determined by means of the lever 36 when the ball is in acontracted state, different surfaces of the ball are urged outwardsagainst the seatings 8 and 10 by tightening the locking sleeve 33 intothe gland head 30, using the lever 34.

Since the internal and external threads on the gland head 30 have thesame pitch, the packing 26 may be tightened down against the packingseat 25 by screwing the gland head 30 down between the threads on thelocking sleeve 33 and the gland flange 31, without altering the positionof the locking sleeve 33 relative to the gland flange 31 and the valvecasing 2. This concentric arrangement allows the valve to be made morecompact than an arrangement in which the components for tightening thepacking are separate and axially spaced from the components for screwingthe spindle towards the 'ball. Such an axially spaced arrangement may bemore suitable in certain circumstances, however, depending on the typeof packing used, for example.

The bottom of the casing 2 has a drainage hole or centre vent 40, whichis normally filled by a plug 42.

FIGURE ,2 shows an alternative arrangement. The value casing is in twoparts 60 and 62, which are joined together by means of bolts 64 and 66with threaded nuts 68 and 70 respectively. A ball 72 is sandwichedbetween the two parts 60 and 62 of the valve casing, and the surface ofthe ball 72 engages against annular seals '74 and 76 in the casing. Aspindle 78 has a square tapered end 80 which fits into a bore 82 throughthe wall of the ball 72. The ball 72 has a passage 84 through it.

The spindle 78 is held within a bore 86 through the part 62 of the valvecasing. The axis of the spindle 78 is inclined to the direction of flowthrough the valve casing, indicated by the arrow 88, and is alsoinclined to the passage 84 through the ball 72, although the axis of thespindle 78 passes through the centre of the ball 72. In thisarrangement, a larger angular displacement of the spindle 78 is requiredfor a given increase in flow through the passage 84 through the valve,so a finer control of the fluid flow is possible. Also, the torquerequired to turn the spindle 78 is less than if the axis of the spindleis perpendicular to the passage 84. To turn the ball from its positionat which there is maximum flow through the valve to its position atwhich there is no flow through the valve, and at which the passagethrough the bore is arranged symmetrically with respect to the seatings74 and 76, so that equal thicknesses of the wall of the bore arepresented opposite the valve seatings 74 and 76, the ball must be turnedthrough an angle greater than 90 by an 3 amount equal to the angle ofinclination of the spindle 78 to the passage 84 through the ball 72.

It is sometimes required that the valve casing be welded onto a pipeline. In order to facilitate the removal of the ball from the casingwithout splitting the casing, the width of the ball between the ends ofthe passage through it may be made slightly less than the distancebetween the two seatings, although this Width is still greater than thediameter of the bore through the seatings. By turning the ball so thatits lesser width lies between the two seatings, the ball may then beremoved through an opening in the valve casing provided for thispurpose.

I claim:

1. A rotary ball valve comprising a casing having two ports, a valveseating around each port respectively, a resilient ball mounted in saidcasing in compressed engagement with the valve seatings, a passagethrough said ball, a slot extending from the outside surface of saidball through said ball to said passage, a spindle, a first actuatingmeans for rotating said spindle, and a second actuating means for movingsaid spindle longitudinally, said spindle having a portion adapted tocooperate with said slot in said ball, for selectively orienting theball with respect to said ports upon operation of said first actuatingmeans, whereby to allow fluid flow from one port to the other throughsaid passage or to prevent such flow, and for urging the surface of theball outwards for increasing the engagement pressure against the valveseatings upon operation of said second actuating means.

2. A valve according to claim 1, said slot having tapered walls, andsaid spindle having a correspondingly tapered portion engageable Withsaid tapered walls.

3. A valve according to claim 2, in which said tapered portion of thespindle has fiat sides and a rectilinear perimeter, and in which saidflat sides are engageable with said tapered walls. v V,

4-. A valve according 'to claim 1 in which said second actuating meanscomprises an externally threaded sleeve within which said spindle ismounted,-and an internally threaded gland head surrounding said sleeve,there being cooperating shoulders on said spindle and said sleeve, suchthat rotation of said sleeve within said gland head causes longitudinalmovement of said spindle.

5. A valve according to claim 4, in which said gland head is externallythreaded with threads of the same pitch as said internal threads, and inwhich said external threads on said gland head cooperate with threadsformed in fixed relation to said casing of said valve.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 563,946 7/1896 Wells 2511881,876,300 9/1932 Hubbell 251-161 2,103,536 12/1937 Inge 251-1612,488,932 11/1949 Penick .251161 X 3,004,551 10/1961 Shafer 251-187 X3,124,333 3/1964 Sivyer 25l161 CLARENCE R. GORDON, Primary Examiner.

1. A ROTARY BALL VALVE COMPRISING A CASING HAVING TWO PORTS, A VALVESEATING AROUND EACH PORT RESPECTIVELY, A RESILIENT BALL MOUNTED IN SAIDCASING IN COMPRESSED ENGAGEMENT WITH THE VALVE SEATINGS, A PASSAGETHROUGH SAID BALL, A SLOT EXTENDING FROM THE OUTSIDE SURFACE OF SAIDBALL THROUGH SAID BALL TO SAID PASSAGE, A SPINDLE, A FIRST ACTUATINGMEANS FOR ROTATING SAID SPINDLE, AND A SECOND ACTUATING MEANS FOR MOVINGSAID SPINDLE LONGITUDINALLY, SAID SPINDLE HAVING A PORTION ADAPTED TOCOOPERATE WITH SAID SLOT IN SAID BALL, FOR SELECTIVELY ORIENTING THEBALL WITH RESPECT TO SAID PORTS UPON OPERATION OF SAID FIRST ACTUATINGMEANS, WHEREBY TO ALLOW FLUID FLOW FROM ONE PORT TO THE OTHER THROUGHSAID PASSAGE OR TO PREVENT SUCH FLOW, AND FOR URGING THE SURFACE OF THEBALL OUTWARDS FOR INCREASING THE ENGAGEMENT PRESSURE AGAINST THE VALVESEATINGS UPON OPERATION OF SAID SECOND ACTUATING MEANS.